Add these to your Melbourne itinerary to get a sense of the city’s intimate and endearing relationship with the arts.

Melbourne’s proud artistic flair is inseparable from the city’s identity and ongoing evolution as Australia’s most creative capital. You’ll see it in the architecture, down its colourful laneways and world-class dining scene. But it’s in those art institutions, Melbourne’s many fabulous galleries and museums, where you can see what makes the city so distinct.

From Southbank to Footscray, Melbourne Museum to NGV International, Melbourne’s art galleries and museums are generously scattered throughout the city. Better yet, most of them are open to the general public for free, with special exhibitions usually ticketed.

To give you a quick overview of just how diverse this city’s art scene is, we’ve detailed the best art galleries in Melbourne, as well as several important museums that serve as constant inspiration. As you’ll see, Melbourne’s art scene is thorough, fiercely open-minded, and takes in everything from photography and contemporary art to fine art, sculpture work, film, video games and more.

In short

If you only have time to visit one gallery or museum in Melbourne, the most obvious choice would be the National Gallery of Victoria. Typically referred to as the NGV International, this wildly ambitious free gallery has been drawing global attention to Melbourne’s art scene since it first opened in 1861.

This is due to a number of reasons. First, the NGV’s extensive collection features over 75,000 works of art with a commitment to constant movement. We’ve been visiting Melbourne’s most famous art gallery for many years now, and it’s always so different each time we go back, anchored by thousands of years of art, design and architecture.

Not only does the NGV boast the largest and oldest art collection in Australia, mostly running through European, Asian and ancient art, but there’s an uncanny ability to secure some of the world’s most in-demand exhibitions.

We generally like to visit in the colder months for the NGV’s ticketed Melbourne Winter Masterpieces series. Since 2004, NGV has secured exclusive, blockbuster exhibitions analysing some of the world’s most impactful names across art, fashion and more. The likes of Dior, Cartier and Alexander McQueen have all been analysed in brilliant, engaging ways through multiple spaces, many of which are lit differently to add a lot of atmosphere to the exhibitions.

1. NGV International, Southbank

As the state’s most recognised art institution, the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) International dominates discussions on the best art galleries in Melbourne. A permanent collection of over 75,000 works spread across two sites, NGV International on St Kilda Rd and the Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia nearby at Federation Square, is completely free to view, while frequent special exhibitions are ticketed.

The gallery, which was first opened in 1861, has a reputation for hosting some of the world’s biggest exhibitions, so it’s always worth checking to see what’s on when you’re in town. Past highlights include exhibitions dedicated to Cartier, Dior, Alexander McQueen, Andy Warhol, John Wolseley and Louise Zhang.

We recommend using the Arts Centre Melbourne car park on Kavanagh Street, or the nearby Australian Ballet Centre car park if you’ve got a vehicle. That said, there’s a tram stop opposite the gallery, and it’s only a short walk across Princes Bridge to get to the Melbourne Arts Precinct.

Cost: Entry to the gallery is free, but some special exhibitions may require a ticket.

Address: 180 St Kilda Rd, Melbourne

2. Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI)

From David Bowie to Yayoi Kusama, ACMI is big and bright with many rotating exhibitions. The public art gallery is dedicated to the screen, encompassing everything from video games to music. If you love your pop culture, this is the place for you.

You’ll find exhibitions that focus on one subject at ACMI, but you’re just as likely to find broad, overarching exhibitions dedicated to fascinating ideas and forward-thinking mediums. This is in addition to a permanent collection of over 250,000 objects illustrating video games, TV and film dating back to 1946.

We also love the central location. You’ll find ACMI at Federation Square, and while it has its own cafe for snacks and light meals, you’re a hop, skip and a jump away from some of Melbourne’s best restaurants on Flinders Lane.

Cost: Entry is free but select events will be ticketed.

Address: Federation Square, Flinders St, Melbourne

3. Australian Centre For Contemporary Art, Southbank

ACCA is where you go when your scope of contemporary art needs a swift expansion. This not-for-profit gallery is one of the most recognised in Australia with a reputation for experimentation.

Local and international artists are showcased across big, shapely spaces, geared towards making an impact and leading cultural conversations.

Show-stopping exhibitions explore bold ideas and work alongside programs of talks, lectures, performances, screenings and other events to help push the ongoing development of the arts in Australia. There’s a tendency to try and be as thorough and creative as possible, which is why Melbourne’s art scene is considered world-class.

Paid parking is available at Fed Square carpark on Russell Street, but there’s also an abundance of transport options nearby since ACCA is located in the city’s core lifestyle precinct.

Cost: Gallery entry is always free, but the gallery is closed on Mondays for appointment-only visits. Special events will be ticketed.

Address: 111 Sturt St, Southbank

4. Melbourne Museum

Melbourne Museum follows a more traditional structure, presenting history, culture, science and nature with fascinating exhibitions for all ages in the heart of Carlton Gardens.

The big benefit here is that you can explore the gardens right after, so a lot of visitors tend to team this up with a picnic on the southern lawns, near the Hochgurtel Fountain.

Immaculate dinosaur fossils, a replica of a living rainforest, and a Children’s Gallery make Melbourne Museum one of the most multifaceted in the country. Permanent and rotating exhibitions are set over 40,000 square metres of floor space, making this the biggest museum in the Southern Hemisphere.

If you’re driving, there’s an underground car park beneath the museum that’s open until late and is reasonably priced. Expect to pay around $30 for 2-3 hours.

It’ll only cost you $15 for an adult ticket, so it’s worth spending a few hours wandering through the museum’s eight galleries to get a thorough education on the land and its history.

Cost: Free entry for members, children and concession; Adults $15; Seniors $10

Address: 11 Nicholson St, Carlton VIC 3053

5. Bunjilaka Aboriginal Cultural Centre

Located at Melbourne Museum, the Bunjilaka Aboriginal Cultural Centre provides exhibitions with incredible depth and power around First Peoples and their stories.

The space hosts just three exhibitions a year dedicated to Koorie artists. There’s also a performance stage for cultural events and an art gallery highlighting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists throughout the year.

Cost: Free entry for members, children and concession; Adults $15; Seniors $10.

Address: 11 Nicholson St, Carlton

6. The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia, CBD

While NGV International looks at the bigger picture, The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia in Federation Square is dedicated to Australia.

An extensive collection of Australian artwork tells our story from the Colonial period through to contemporary art in a way that provides great insight into the issues that have built our country from then to now.

The highlight is the rich collection of works and regular exhibitions from First Nations artists, occupying a sizable space across a total of 25,000 works from indigenous and non-indigenous artists.

We typically pair a visit to the Ian Potter Centre with the nearby ACMI, given they’re both at Fed Square. Both of them should take around two hours each to explore, so pairing them up is a nice way to fill a rainy day in Melbourne.

Cost: Entry to the gallery is free, although some special exhibitions may be ticketed.

Address: Federation Square, Flinders St & Russell St, Melbourne

7. Heide Museum of Modern Art

Made up of three buildings set around beautiful gardens and a popular sculpture park, Heide Museum of Modern Art is one of Australia’s most important hubs for the arts.

The former farm property of locals John and Sunday Reed has been transformed into this massive art complex just 30 minutes outside of Melbourne CBD, dedicated mostly to the modernist period in Australia.

Throughout their lifetime, the Reeds assembled a massive collection of pieces from The Heide Circle, a notable art collective. And it’s this extensive network that has resulted in a unique display of works from across history, anchored by an incredible range of sculptures by local artists.

The best way to get to the Heide Museum of Modern Art is via car. It takes around 20 minutes to drive from the Melbourne CBD to the car park on Templestowe Road. You can catch public transport, but you’ll have to get off at Heidelberg Station and then catch the 903 bus.

Cost: The gardens and sculpture park are always free. Entry to the gallery is ticketed: Adult $25; Concession $20; Seniors $20 on Tuesdays; free for members, children under 16, and Manningham residents.

Address: 7 Templestowe Rd, Bulleen

8. Footscray Community Arts Centre, Footscray

The Footscray Community Arts Centre (FCAC) was established in 1974. Multiculturalism flows throughout the building, taking an open approach to art with a preference for Melbourne’s western suburbs.

A constant stream of performances and workshops draws many people out to Footscray just for this space. There are also art workshops for people with disabilities.

With diversity at its core, the regular program of special exhibitions takes a similarly wide-ranging approach so you’ll often find everything from photography to light works. No manner of expression is off the table.

There are two unmetered car parks and more on Moreland Street, but there’s no dedicated car park for the community centre. We recommend catching a train out, as the community centre is close to Footscray Station.

Cost: Entry to the gallery is free.

Address: 45 Moreland St, Footscray

9. Linden New Art, St Kilda

Located in St Kilda, Linden New Art is a gallery designed to hero works from unestablished Australian artists. The space is best known for its annual Postcard Show, which prefers tiny wall-hung pieces from Australian artists across every medium, from watercolour and textiles to ceramics and glass.

With the gallery specialising in pint-sized works, you’ll find many locals heading along to the not-for-profit to grab several pieces and cobble them together for their collage back home.

Just note that there is only limited street parking available. The best way to play is to catch public transport out to St Kilda and make a day of it. Linden New Art is only a few minutes from St Kilda’s iconic beachfront promenade, where many of Melbourne’s best restaurants and bars are located.

Cost: Entry to the gallery and annual Postcard Show are free for the public.

Address: Bunurong Boon Wurrung Country, 26 Acland St, St Kilda

10. MARS Gallery, Windsor

Melbourne Art Rooms, or MARS, is one of the more recognisable galleries in Melbourne, founded in 2004 by Andy Dinan.

Marvel at the two-dimensional works of Tricky Walsh.

Originally in Port Melbourne, the art gallery has since moved to a purpose-built space in Windsor, expanding its collection to support further and build the careers of Australia’s emerging contemporary artists.

While the collection is free to view for the public, you’ll find that most people here would be serious buyers looking to score their next treasure.

MARS also pays homage to the remarkable legacy of late artist and mentor, Bernhard Sachs.

We recommend taking public transport to Windsor because street parking can be very limited in the area.

Cost: Entry to the gallery is free, but there may be ticketed special events.

Address: 7 James St, Windsor

11. Buxton Contemporary, Southbank

Local property developer and collector Michael Buxton has built up a trove of pieces so impressive and varied that his eponymous Buxton Contemporary is now part of the University of Melbourne’s Victorian College of Arts.

You’ll find Buxton Contemporary on the corner opposite the NGV, championing mostly Australasian artists and favouring moving images and video works. Video is so central to how Buxton Contemporary operates that the space hosts the largest outdoor screen in Australia.

Special exhibitions are only open Wednesday through Sunday, and entry is completely free.

There is street parking nearby, but you also have the option of Australian Ballet Centre and Arts Centre Melbourne.

Cost: Entry to the gallery and most special exhibitions is free.

Address: Corner Southbank Boulevard &, Dodds St, Southbank

12. Gertrude Contemporary, Preston

You’ll now find Gertrude Contemporary in Preston, but the project began its life in Fitzroy in 1983, established as a series of artist studios. There is also a satellite exhibition space called Gertrude Glasshouse, which can be found on Glasshouse Road in Collingwood.

The art complex is popular amongst Melbourne’s core art crowd, referenced mostly for its conceptual artworks and tireless support of the arts community through constant studio residencies.

You can easily find all-day parking on Railway Place behind the venue. There’s also some street parking nearby. Although we’d recommend public transport for this one, and maybe even pairing a visit up with the gorgeous Preston Market.

Cost: Entry to the gallery and most special exhibitions is free.

Address: 21-31 High St, Preston

13. The Blender Studios, West Melbourne

The Blender Studios is less of a year-round gallery that’s open to the public and more of an artist hub with space for residences and exhibitions.

As opposed to more commercial galleries, this space is purposed for more accessible mediums, such as a wide variety of street art. As such, you can head along here to buy works from Blenders artists as well as join a street art tour of West Melbourne.

Leave the car at home and catch public transport for this one. We’ve always struggled to find parking around the venue.

Cost: Entry to the gallery is free, although most workshops will be ticketed.

Address: 33-35 Dudley St, West Melbourne

14. Koorie Heritage Trust, CBD

Dedicated to Koorie culture and First Nations art, the Koorie Heritage Trust is one of Melbourne’s most important art complexes with three dedicated gallery spaces.

Works displayed here have been collected since the early 1980s, presenting a broad scope for those who want to admire Indigenous art and culture.

Most popular are the centre’s walking tours, which explore the heart of Melbourne with an Indigenous guide, offering insights into the rich and complex history of the world’s oldest continuous living culture.

This is another one of the art institutions that help make Federation Square such a central location for art and history buffs visiting Melbourne. Just use the dedicated parking lot nearby, or walk on down from Melbourne CBD.

Cost: Entry to the gallery is free although some exhibitions may be ticketed.

Address: The Yarra Building, Federation Square, Flinders St & Swanston St, Melbourne

15. Honey Bones Gallery, Brunswick

Run by artists, the Honey Bones Gallery in Brunswick is known for group shows that often showcase up to 50 artists at a time, as well as popular communal art parties.

The gallery has a prescient reputation for digging deep into the community and championing artists before they become much bigger names. This is why collectors hold Honey Bones Gallery in such high regard.

There is some limited parking on-site, but most of what you’ll find is street parking in the area.

Cost: Entry to exhibitions is generally free to the public.

Address: 46 Trafford St, Brunswick

16. Museum of Australian Photography (MAPh), Wheelers Hill

This Harry Seidler-designed building, hidden in Wheelers Hill, is a bastion of the visual arts. Everything MAPh does in the local community is in complete support of Australian artists.

Australian photographers take centre stage at MAPh throughout the year, fostering a comprehensive permanent collection of over 1,500 works tracking the history of visual storytelling in Australia.

With around 20 exhibitions per year, the Museum of Australian Photography is one of Melbourne’s busiest and most active incubators. There’s also a constant stream of innovative programs and talks to deepen our understanding of photography.

MAPh is part of a wider cultural complex, so there’s plenty of free parking at both the front and rear of the building.

Cost: Entry to the gallery is free to the public, but workshops and talks may be ticketed.

Address: 860 Ferntree Gully Rd, Wheelers Hill

17. RMIT Gallery, CBD

RMIT Gallery is another ode to visual storytelling with exhibitions that change frequently, blending art and research from the global University of Technology and Design.

Exhibitions generally tackle big, cerebral questions like healing and connection, while also leaning heavily on RMIT’s extensive network in the worlds of arts and academia.

The throughline of cultural stories and provocative works is aimed mostly at the student population but anyone can enter this free public gallery.

You’ll find Wilson’s Parking on La Trobe Street, but aside from that, you’ll need to keep your eye out for street parking if you want to drive to RMIT.

Cost: Entry to the gallery is free.

Address: 344 Swanston St, Melbourne

18. Potter Museum of Art

After a six-year redevelopment, the flagship art museum of the University of Melbourne reopened in 2025 off the back of a major Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art exhibition.

Now equipped with more modern facilities and wider spaces, Potter Museum of Art is anchored by ambitious exhibitions that typically pitch art next to research and social history.

Given the educational lean to this art museum, exhibitions are often both expansive and tightly focused, so you’ll be able to learn a great deal about a variety of topics if you’re wise enough to include this on your Melbourne itinerary.

There is only limited parking around the University of Melbourne so we recommend using public transport for your visit to the Potter Museum of Art.

Cost: Entry to the museum is free.

Address: Corner Swanston St & Masson Rd, Parkville